As bloggers for Evenflo’s cheeky-but-useful savvy moments in parenting blog (stuff like potty training at 30,000 feet, mantras for grandparent visits, and to DVD or not DVD on road trips), we were each given a car seat to take for a test drive as well as one to give away you. Read Whitney’s take on the car seat.

Want one? Evenflo provided us one to give to a lucky reader.

To win the Momentum 65™ car seat, comment below with any savvy parenting travel tips you have used recently (or even a tip you plan to use for future travel).

child not included

Comments will close at midnight on December 2 (US-residents only. Sorry!). We’ll pick one winner at random on December 3 so you can get it in time for Christmas travel.

When driving to my parents house (5 hours away) we always leave after bedtime. Our son’s sleep cycle isn’t interupted and there is less traffic on the road. Additionally, my parents get one-on-one time with our son while letting us sleep in the next morning. Its a total win-win.

well, i learned from you ladies to buy diapers when you arrive instead of just stuffing your bag full of diapers. but we also made sure we took a bag big enough for a bumbo chair when our son was younger than 6 months. that thing is invaluable in hotels and non-baby-proofed houses

always pack a little more than you may need. if you’re flying though, buy disposable stuff when you get there- keeps the bag weight down. and definitely make sure there is a packnplay wherever you go! hehe

We have a secret stash of noisy toys that we save for long car rides like when we visit the grandparents in Philly or when we drove to SC for vacation. That way they don’t drive us nuts on a daily basis around the house and he gets excited to see “new” toys. We’ve done as long as 9 hours in the car with him (he’s 2.5) and we’ve yet to pull out the portable DVD player!!!!

Try to stay calm when things get stressful. Kids are more likely to get over their ‘mood’ if mom and dad keep their cool. If the parents get upset then it rubs off on the kids and makes for an uncomfortable time for everyone.

If you have to stay in a hotel with a baby, get a crib even if you don’t think you’ll need it, and pick a “suite” hotel with a kitchen. It is so much easier and cheaper than eating out with kids.

For carrying a car seat through the airport, turn it upside down over your suitcase and use the LATCH straps to hook to the buckle of a belt. Then tie the belt through the handle of the suitcase. We had to improvise after we lost our fancy expensive strap that is designed for that, and it turned out to work much better.

Diaper wallets are the best for quick stops at rest areas. Compartmentalize everything you might need for stops along the way so that you don’t have to haul one big bag around everywhere. And agree with above comments about leaving after bedtime or right before naptime.

For long raodtrips, I sit in the backseat with my son while my husband drives. That way I can read, sing, and play with him until he gets sleepy. When he falls asleep, I switch to the front seat and hang with hubby. Baby is happy, I am happy, and hubby doesn’t have to drive with a screaming kiddo in the backseat.

We love the activity bar that goes across the carseat – keeps my son entertained on most car trips. We also utilize an empty back seat, just in case I need to go back there and entertain him on the long trips to Grandma’s!

I like to load up on a few small, new toys before going on a long car trip. I get these at a local toy store, book store, or the $1 section at the front of Target. The novelty of a new toy can buy a *lot* of time, especially in the car. We don’t have a DVD player, but my son does watch shows on an ipod. I usually try to download some new content to freshen it up before we go anywhere, although he doesn’t get to watch the ipod shows regularly, so it is special to be able to watch them. Now that he’s older, we also play some car games, such as rhyming games and a 20 questions type game he came up with called “animal guess.”

I think it is best not to overplan, don’t expect to make “good time,” and just enjoy the ride! Despite being cooped up in the car, we don’t all get to spend a lot of time together, with work and school and other commitments. We have to cherish the time we have!

When flying be sure to pack a carry-on of essentials and expensive items, eg. breastpump, in case of lost luggage. Also, don’t pack anything that is inexpensive and easy to pick up at a store on the other side.

We just had a great 1st road trip w/ our 3-mo-old. These really helped:Browse for family-friendly stops along the road and family-friendly spots in your designated place and save these in your GPS. If you don’t have time to do this, make sure to ask once you’re in that spot, you’ll never know the “secret” rooms/facilities they have for families..Bring different blankets for wiggle time during the trip and make stops every 3-4 hours for baby to get out of the car seat and wiggle around..Be ready to feed and change your baby in whatever place you’ll end up!

1) Always bring the sound machine. 2) If you are staying in a hotel – do not try and lug a pack’n’play. Instead, use the hotel crib but bring your own sheet and sleep sack/blanket. Baby will never notice the difference!

We took our daughter on a 13 hour (over two days) car trip when she was only 6 weeks (we were avoiding flying in the midst of flu season, but very much wanted to introduce her to her great-grandmother who was in the last stages of cancer). My advice…plan for the car trip to take twice as long as you think it will. Relax, enjoy the nursing/diaper changing stops, and don’t stress about getting there. Also, even though our daughter was sleeping in a bassinet in our hotel room, we always stayed where we had two rooms (like a mini-suite)…we had so much stuff we definately needed the extra space!

What’s worked best for us on long car rides (my husband’s family is 14 hours away and we have a 2 and 1 year old!!) is making sure that the essentials are within reach. I pack a bag for each boy and make sure it’s in front of their seat so whoever is the non-driver at the moment can easily pull something new out for them when they are ready. The other essential for us (I know this won’t help everyone) is making sure that we plan for longer than normal stops. We allow them to get out and stretch their legs when we do stop. Also, having a cooler with snacks and milk/juice/water is a must-have! We haven’t had to do the DVD player in the car yet, but always have their blankies, paci’s, toys and coloring stuff ready. I know that was more than one tip, but you need more when you are traveling with toddlers! : ) Be safe to all of you who are traveling this holiday season!!

We are rookie but wimpy parents who are too chicken to fly with our now almost one-year-old. For drives to the in-laws (4 hours), we leave early morning right after breakfast. Our daughter sleeps most of the way. Keeping our fingers crossed this happens for Thanksgiving!

Pacifeeders are great for babies still drinking from bottles. You can travel while they feed! They can hold the bottle top like a paci and it sucks through the straw from the bottle below. No spills if you hit a bump either.

I can’t remember where I heard this, but my favorite tip so far for plane rides is to buy a bunch of inexpensive toys or games that are new to your child and then only give them one every hour of the ride – the idea is that the new toy holds their attention and just as they are starting to lose interest you have a new one to give them.

If you have a long road trip, get up at 2-3 in the AM to leave. Put the kids still in their jammies in the car so that they stay asleep. Then they finish sleeping in the car and at least you have had a few hours of sleep and aren’t exhausted from driving all night.
Pack snacks and let each kid (mine are 20 mo & 6) have a little ziplock bag for garbage. If they make a mess, it isn’t the end of the world

My son is two, and lately, the little toy cars will keep him pretty entertained. That, and lots of snacks and drinks. We stop frequently, as our road trips are usually around 4-6 hours in length to visit grandparents. Whenever possible, we try to leave around bedtime- it makes for a long night for mom and dad, but so much easier for our son!

We travel quite often with our 3 month old to visit his grandparents in Minnesota (3 hour trip). We leave immediately after his feeding, and can usually count on him to be content the entire way there. And we always bring his noise machine. He can sleep anywhere with it!

2 ideas: 1) go to your local consignment store to buy inexpensive toys/books that will be new to your child(ren) when on the flight. 2) a few weeks/months before you travel, put some of your existing toys/books aside so they will be excited to see them again – familiar stuff, but it’s been a while so hopefully it will hold their attention for a while.

I use my iPhone to search for cemeteries at places we are likely to stop while on long drives. My husband thinks it’s weird, but it’s usually a nice quiet place to stop – like a big private park – and you can change the baby and sit and nurse on the grass. There is a nice cemetery in King City near the freeway, if anyone is headed south for Thanksgiving…

We travel with an Infantino travel bed. Our baby didn’t want to sleep in it (we needed a crib for that) but it was a great place to put him to play that was smaller than a pack and play, and folded down smaller than his diaper bag.

Also, bring a baby carrier! SOOOO much easier than pulling the stroller out for everything. Especially when we didn’t have too much control over where we were going (family trip)

Hotel beds were scary for our cosleeping family, since they’re never pushed up against a wall and our son usually insisted on nursing on both sides all night, hence exposing himself to some risk of rolling off the open side of the bed–until we realized that we can totally sleep “sideways” very comfortably on a queen- or king-sized bed. So, we sleep in this configuration: footboard-Dad-baby-Mom-headboard; or footboard-Dad-Mom-baby-headboard. Baby is always safely between two “bumpers.” Whew!